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Arne Magnusson
Doctor Arne Magnusson is a fictional character from the video game Half-Life 2: Episode Two, voiced by actor John Aylward and modeled after actor Paul Eenhoorn. A rude and impatient character, he is prone to bullying all around him, and expresses jealousy at the player-character Gordon Freeman's popularity. Fictional character biography Although he was never mentioned earlier in the series, Dr Magnusson is said in-game to be one of the few survivors of the incident that took place in the Black Mesa Research Facility as depicted in Half-Life. There, according to Dr. Eli Vance, he used to "compete for grant money" with Dr. Isaac Kleiner. The two get on poorly due to their clashing personalities, as spelled out by their very names: 'magnus' means big in Latin, 'klein' means small in German and Dutch. He is now in charge of White Forest, a rebel facility installed in a former nuclear missile base in the vicinity of City 17. He has been joined there following the evacuation of City 17 by his two former colleagues. Magnusson's peculiar personality seems to have gained him much respect from the Vortigaunts, such as his assistant Uriah, who makes awed references to him. Another Vortigaunt earlier in the game utters a phrase very similar to Magnusson's "What next in the parade of constant interruptions?" ("What next in the parade of constant obstacles?"). Finally, should the player fail to protect the missile silo from the invading Striders, the failure message delivered in the style of the Vortigaunts' speech claims that "the Magnusson's misgivings about the Freeman were completely justified." Appearance and role After appearing a couple of times on communications screens, Dr Magnusson is finally seen in person at the White Forest Rocket Facility once the player gets there. He is hard at work on a satellite delivery rocket with which he hopes to deliver a payload that will close the growing Combine superportal but wastes no time in ordering Gordon Freeman around. The player gets two missions from Dr Magnusson: investigating a threat in a silo, then defending the base from a massive strider assault. The first mission is punctuated by Dr Magnusson's comments, complaints, instructions and increasingly desperate cries for help which resonate in the base's public address system. Within seconds of its conclusion, he calmly instructs everyone to go back to work. For the second mission, he tutors the player in the use of a weapon he has invented and lent his name to: the Magnusson Device. This is a special adhesive bomb designed for bringing down striders quickly. Magnusson claims the name was not his idea. Once the fighting is over, he very formally and stiffly thanks Gordon Freeman but later credits the devices for his victory. At the end of the game, the rocket is launched and the satellite functions satisfactorily, pushing Magnusson into a paroxysm of self-satisfaction which once again resonates in the PA system. Origins Near the end of the game, Magnusson mentions forgiving Gordon Freeman for a debacle involving a "microwave casserole". This is confirmed (by the developer commentary) to be a reference to an incident early in Half-Life, where the player can accelerate the speed of a microwave, causing the food inside to explode and a nearby scientist to exclaim, "My God, what are you doing?!". According to the developers' commentary, the idea for Magnusson's demeanor came from one scientist in Half-Life 1 who said "Gordon doesn't need to hear all this, he's a highly trained professional," as the Test Chamber doors were opened. Dr. ArneMagnusson Category:Male video game characters Dr. Arne Magnusson Category:1998 introductions